Performers

Greg & Ashley Shelton

Greg Shelton — The Pilot

Greg’s interest in aviation began at an early age watching fire bombers in northern California in the mid 1960s. He loved listening to his father’s adventures of flying fighter aircraft in the U.S. Navy.

Greg began flying lessons in a Piper J-3 Cub in 1982. Before he finished his pilot’s license he traded the J-3 Cub for a Starduster Too so he could pursue aerobatics.

In January 1983, with a passion for WWII aircraft, Greg bought an AT-6 Texan project that would take him four years to restore. Greg was not initially interested in performing in air shows. But that changed in 1990 when a friend was unable to fulfill his air show commitments and asked Greg to perform in his place. That request changed the course of his flying career. Greg performed at air shows in the AT-6 from 1990 until 2006. And in that same time period, Greg also performed in a Yak 52 for one year and a Yak 55 for ten years.

In 2003, he decided to add a wing walking act to his growing list of air show performances. He purchased a 450 Super Stearman painted in patriotic colors of red, white, and blue. Greg employed the talents of Ashley Battles, his first wing walker. The routine was performed across the United States and abroad. Ashley Battles retired in 2013 after 10 years on Greg’s wing. After Battle’s retirement, Greg enlisted his wife, Ashley Shelton, to wing walk beginning in 2015. Greg has been a pioneer in wing walking showmanship by adding a nighttime wing walking act beginning in 2016. Greg Shelton Airshows was awarded the 2016 ICAS Platinum Pinnacle Award for Innovation for their wing walking night show.

In December 2006, Greg sold his AT-6 to make room for the FM-2 Wildcat. Greg has been performing an aerobatic air show routine in the Wildcat since 2007. Greg is the 2018 recipient of the Bill Barber Award for Showmanship.

Ashley Shelton — The Wing Walker

Ashley Shelton was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her passion for aviation started at an early age building and flying model airplanes with her father. After high school she pursued an art history degree and worked at an art museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma for 7 years. Looking for a bit more adventure, she decided to enlist in the U.S. Air Force as an air traffic controller. When a medical issue prevented her from graduating basic military training at Lackland AFB, she went on to complete her Associate’s Degree in Air Traffic Control back home in Tulsa. Still wanting to pursue an opportunity to serve her community, Ashley took a position as a police officer at Tulsa International Airport, graduating from the Oklahoma Police Academy in 2013. She worked at the airport as an Airfield Operations supervisor for 4 years. Ashley currently works for Ladd Gardner Aviation Insurance Agency as an aviation insurance agent. Ashley is a private pilot and completed her first solo in a Cessna 172 and currently owns and flies her 1946 Piper J-3 Cub and a 1946 Funk. She feels there is no greater feeling than being a tailwheel pilot!